


Gray Skies

by otakufire1028



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Music
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-31
Updated: 2015-08-31
Packaged: 2018-04-18 06:55:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4696439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otakufire1028/pseuds/otakufire1028
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroko, betrayed and replaced my Seirin and the Generation of Miracles, quits the basketball club, gets discovered by Musical Tendencies Records for his musical abilities, then disappears for half a year. After those six months Musical Tendencies is now co-owned by a company which is unknown to Kuroko. What will Kuroko do when he finds out the Akashi Corp. co-owns the agency?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing except for the plot and some of my original songs.

~Prologue~

You know, maybe some things just aren't meant to be.

I thought friends were supposed to be with you always. They were the ones who were supposed to support and believe in you. All the friends I've had always end up abandoning me. They always leave. This has happened three times already.

Maybe I wasn't meant to have friends.

The Generation of Miracles... You'd think they would stay, seeing how they're always so clingy to me, especially Kise, but they didn't.

Aomine... You'd think he'd stay? Well, no, you're wrong. He didn't. He was actually the first one to leave. The others soon followed.

Kise was the second. He called out to Aomine asking to play a one-on-one and just walked out the door. Guess who was left alone and forgotten?

Akashi had turned into a different person after a one-on-one with Murasakibara. This Akashi did not care nor had any need for me, the humble shadow.

Murasakibara had started skipping practices to eat his beloved snacks. And guess who was the trigger of this lazy behavior? Aomine, because he's the one who had started skipping first.

Midorima, well, he straight up told me I was no good.

I, myself, partially caused Momoi to leave. We had made a promise about getting Aomine to like basketball again. After the rest of the Miracles left, when Momoi asked about the promise, I lied and told her I forgot what it was about. I lied and made a girl cry. I really am a terrible person.

These so called friends were also the reason that I had lost my childhood friend. When we were younger, we had made a promise to play against each other after he moved away. He was in Meiko Middle School and we had a match against him. But I had gotten injured in the game before so I couldn't play against him.

The Miracles had toyed with my friend's team and fixed the score. They let Meiko score points against them.

My friend, Ogiwara Shigehiro, was heartbroken. When I rushed out of he infirmary to see him, his eyes looked as if they said 'How could you?'. He never contacted me again. I don't even think he's touched a basketball since then.

The skies were gray that day. That day when I walked to the park, I was soaked from rain but I didn't go home just yet. I sang out my emotions, as I sat on a bench by the basketball courts.

When I got home, I had a fever. But guess what? No one was there for me. My parent's are always working and have no time for me so I live alone.

I'll skip ahead since I don't feel like explaining. I met Seirin. They were kind to me and appeared to care, but I was wrong. They left as well.

Starting with Kagami.

It truly is painful to hate something you love. I love basketball but I hate the way I have been hurt because of it.

I am Kuroko.

I am not Kuroko of Teiko.

I am not Kuroko of Seirin.

I am Kuroko, who was not cut out for basketball.

I am Kuroko, who was not meant to have friends.

I am Kuroko of Musical Tendencies.

I am Shadow and skies have always been gray around me.


	2. Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own anything except for the plot. I don't own the songs used in this chapter either. Songs used in this chapter were Heart Attack by Demi Lovato, Bouree by Bach, This Song Saved My Life by Simple Plan, Over My Head (Cable Car) by The Fray, Break Even by The Script, and Ama no Jaku piano version.

Chapter One

"I was stupid to think you guys cared. Have fun with our kohais. I'm sorry for being so useless. Goodbye."

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko, now a second-year, was walking happily, though he didn't show it, to the gym. The sky was cloudy and gray, but it didn't bother him. He was actually quite excited. It would be the fifth week of practicing with their new members. 

Seirin had gotten fifteen at the start, since they won the Winter Cup, but twelve chickened out on the rooftop, leaving them with three new members. The new kids were each on par with the Generation of Miracles and they just so happened to be the little brothers of them. Specifically Aomine, Kise, and Midorima.

Aomine Daisuke, Kise Ryou, and Midorima Shin had the exact same abilities as their older brothers, but they had different personalities and looks.

Aomine Daisuke, unlike Daiki, was not tanned. His skin was pale white. He had the same height and muscular build as his brother, though. Daisuke has the same short, blue hair, as well, but his was spiked up with hair gel. He was hard-working, diligent, smart, and was not a pervert. He was actually quite chivalrous. He has the top grades in his year and is very well mannered. He decided to go to Seirin because of their love for basketball and the fact that they had beaten his brother, who claimed that the only one who could beat him was him. Daisuke also didn't want to be stereotyped as the same type of person his brother was, which happened quite often. The students of Seirin, besides the basketball team, didn't know Daiki so that couldn't happen.

Kise Ryou had the same complexion and hair color of his model of a brother, but was a bit shorter than his brother, not that he minded, though. As he's seen how troublesome fans are by being mistaken for Ryouta, Ryou tries to play down his looks. He has long bangs that cover his eyes and serve as his shield from other people. Ryou is very shy and doesn't interact much with people. He rarely smiles. Besides basketball, he's very good at drawing. Ryou has average grades. He came to Seirin instead of Kaijou because he finds Ryouta very annoying and does not want to be associated with him.

Midorima Shin looks exactly like Shintaro except for his hair and glasses. Shin doesn't need glasses, though he'll occasionally wear fake ones. In all other aspects he looks like Shintaro. Shin styles his green hair to look like Natsu Dragneel from the anime Fairy Tail. He doesn't approve of Shintaro's Oha Asa Horoscope obsession, but he is an otaku himself. His favorite anime's are Fairy Tail, Blue Exorcist, and Kuroshitsuji. He wears a necklace with the Fairy Tail guild insignia on it every day. He's always excited to practice and smiles most of the time. Unlike Shintaro, his grades aren't that good, though. Shin came to Seirin because he didn't want to go to Shutoku knowing that his horoscope weirdo of a brother is there. He gets along well with Takao, though. If you had a weird brother, you would probably avoid him too, right?

These three had two things in common: their love for basketball and enjoying their brothers' losses. They didn't like how apathetic their brothers had become about basketball when they had been the ones to teach them how fun the sport was. They were quite joyous when Seirin had beaten them and their teams during the Winter Cup, thus teaching them a lesson. 

The Generation of Miracles, however, had not changed their attitudes about basketball, but their friendships with Kuroko had rekindled. Kuroko was not giving up though. Daisuke, Ryou, and Shin wanted to change their brothers as well. They had made a promise to change them back to how they were before their Teiko days.

Kuroko was eager to practice with his kohais knowing that they were the brothers of his friends. To him, it would be like playing on the same team as the past Aomine, Kise, and Midorima again. It'd be nice if the Generation of Miracles could play again as a team, fully loving basketball.

As soon as he stepped into the gym, his presence went unnoticed by the people inside. Again. He saw Hyuuga, Izuki, Koganei, Mitobe, and Kagami talking while shooting some hoops. He walked closer, but stopped when they heard what they were talking about.

"The first-years are really amazing this year, aren't they? I didn't expect to have the Generation of Miracles' siblings, though." Hyuuga said.

"I still can't believe Ahomine's brother isn't a ganguro." Kagami said, shooting from the free throw line.

"It's amazing how they all came here because they couldn't deal with their brothers, says Mitobe." Koganei said, peeling off a banana.

"They're gonna take our starting positions soon." Izuki said.

"We should take Kuroko off first. He's the weakest out of all of us. With Aomine, Kise, and Midorima, I don't think we'll even need him anymore." Hyuuga said.

That comment hurt Kuroko deeply. It was like he had just been stabbed in the heart.

"Good point. If it's best for the team, I second the motion. We already fulfilled our promise of becoming the best in Japan." Kagami said. "I mean, all he does anyway is scare us. What would we do if we had a heart attack? I don't need some freaky phantom as a shadow. Hell, I don't even need a shadow anymore."

Kuroko froze. 'What happened, Kagami-kun? I thought I was your shadow? Weren't you my light? What happened to being a team? Wasn't I your teammate? I'm really not needed, am I? I'm just a dead weight bringing everyone down.' Kuroko thought.

"Putting my defenses up~ cuz I don't wanna fall in love~ if I ever did that, I think I'd have a heart attaaaaaaaaaack~ I think I'd have a heart attack~" Izuki sang.

The rest of the boys laughed.

"Finally! Izuki's finally made a good joke!" Hyuuga said.

"If that's how you guys feel, then I'll leave." Kuroko said, turning his back to them. The boys were shocked and turned to Kuroko. "Izuki-senpai, I hope your jokes get better. That one wasn't funny at all. Sorry for having no presence. It's not like I can control it. Honestly, I thought you guys were better than this. I was wrong to think you were the type of people who wouldn't talk smack about someone when they weren't there. I guess that puts you on the same level as Hanamiya." Kuroko still had his emotionless expression on as he turned to face them. "I thought I had a place here, but obviously I don't. I'm only a burden bringing you guys down. I was stupid to think you guys cared. Have fun with our kohais. I'm sorry for being so useless. Goodbye." Kuroko walked away.

'I'll turn in my resignation form to Coach tomorrow. I'm sorry Daisuke, Ryou, Shin. I won't be able to keep our promise.' Kuroko thought. 'Maybe I should just give up on them. They gave up on me so I don't see what's wrong with it.'

"I can't believe I was stupid enough to think anyone cared." He said aloud. And with that phrase, the tears fell.

As Kuroko walked, he passed by Daisuke. Daisuke stopped. "Eh? Kuroko-senpai, where are you going? There's practice."

"I don't feel well today so I'm going home."

"Do you have a fever?" Daisuke, being taller than Kuroko, was fast in catching up to him. He put his hand on Kuroko's forehead.

"I don't think so. I'm just gonna head home to get some rest. Please tell Coach I can't make it today."

Daisuke noticed Kuroko was crying, but he didn't say anything and just pretended he didn't notice. "Okay, senpai. I hope you feel better."

"Thank you, Daisuke-kun. Goodbye." Kuroko walked a few more steps before saying in an inaudible voice, "I'm sorry."

As Daisuke watched Kuroko leave, he knew something was very wrong. He took out his phone and called his brother.

"Hello? Nii-san?"

"Yeah, what is it, Daisuke?" Aomine drawled over the phone.

"Kuroko-senpai was crying today."

"What? Tetsu was?"

"Yeah, can you check on him? I think it must have been pretty bad if he was in tears. Just don't tell him I told you he was crying. Just, like, check on him, like, hang out with him to see if he's okay."

"Yeah, okay. I'll tell Satsuki."

"Arigato, Nii-san." Daisuke then hung up and went to practice.

~Gray Skies~

"Oi, Akashi, you there?"

"If I wasn't here, would I be talking to you, Daiki?" Akashi said on the phone. "What do you need, Daiki. It's rare of you to call me."

"It's Tetsu."

"What about Tetsuya?"

"Daisuke said he was crying today."

"..."

"Can you, like, plan a meeting to hang out or something so we can see if he's okay?"

"I'll send out messages to meet at Maji Burger." Then Akashi hung up.

~Gray Skies~

The sky was still gray, but it showed no sign of raining. Kuroko preferred this kind of weather whenever he went out to the park to play music. Once he got home, he took his violin case and some music sheets with him then headed to the park.

He chose a spot under a tree to practice. Once he set up, he played Bouree, a piece from Johann Sebastian Bach. In the middle of his playing, Kuroko's phone rang. He put down his violin and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Tetsuya, where are you now?"

"The park, why?"

"We're having a meeting at Maji's. I'll pick you up. Stay where you are." And Akashi hung up.

After that phone call, Kuroko packed up his stuff and waited on a bench. Within a few minutes, he saw Akashi walking towards him.

"Akashi-kun."

"I'll carry your case for you, Tetsuya."

Kuroko handed over his case, knowing that even if he refused it would be futile. "Thank you, Akashi-kun."

They got into Akashi's car and went to Maji Burger. Once they got there, they found the rest of the Miracles and Momoi sitting at their usual table.

"Tetsu-kun!" Momoi hugged his arm that held his violin case.

"Momoi-san."

"Tetsu."

"Aomine-kun."

"Kuroko-chi!!!" Kise took Kuroko's other arm, telling him to sit with him.

"Oi, Kise! Get your hands off Tetsu!"

"No! He's mine!"

"No! Tetsu-kun belongs to me! You can't have him, Ki-chan!" Momoi yelled.

"Midorima-kun, Murasakibara-kun, domo." Kuroko said, ignoring the chaos around him.

"Kuroko/Kuro-chin."

"Satsuki, get off of him! If anything, he's mine! He's my shadow!" Aomine said.

That statement struck Kuroko like a lightning bolt. "Well, I don't have a light anymore." Kuroko said, bluntly. 

Everything got quiet.

"What do you mean you 'don't have a light anymore'? Tetsuya, stop joking around." Akashi said.

"I mean exactly that. I'm not joking. I was kicked off the team for being weak. My position can easily be replaced by Daisuke-kun, Ryou-kun, or Shin-kun. I'm not needed. I'm only a burden." At that moment, Seirin walked into Maji's. 

"Kuroko-senpai!" Shin yelled.

"Kuroko! Where were you during practice?" Riko asked.

Kuroko acted like he didn't hear her. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go." He took his violin and left. The Generation of Miracles saw something they swore never to be the cause of again.

Kuroko in tears.

"Oi, Kuroko!"

He ignored it and continued walking. 

"Oi, bastards, what'd you do to Tetsu?!" Aomine grabbed Kagami by the collar.

"What the fuck, Ahomine? We didn't do anything. Are you sure it wasn't something you did?" Kagami retorted.

"If you didn't do anything, then why the fuck was Tetsu crying?!" Aomine threw Kagami onto the floor. "Why the fuck did he say he didn't have a light anymore?!"

"Nii-san, calm down." Daisuke intervened.

"How the fuck can I calm down when Tetsu is acting all weird?! He didn't even get his usual vanilla milkshake!"

"Daiki, listen to your brother for once. Nothing's gonna get solved unless you calm down. Let's follow him." Akashi ordered.

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko went back to the park and sat on a bench near the basketball courts. He started singing.

"I was broken.  
I was choking.  
I was lost.  
This song saved my life." 

'Even if the Generation of Miracles try to help me get over this, it won't work. It'll only remind me of how much they had hurt me back in Teiko. I was abandoned. If they try, it'll only bring back bad memories.' Kuroko thought.

The words said after the Winter Cup replayed in Kuroko's head.

'You cannot change the way I view basketball, Tetsuya. None can change me because I am absolute.'

'The only one who can change me is me, Tetsu. You and that Bakagami can't do anything about it. Why do you even care?'

'Kuroko-chi, is basketball even worth playing now? You get so serious over it but it's still just a game.'

'Basketball is just a game with nothing fun about it, Kuro-chin. You care too much. All your effort will just go to waste.'

'I follow destiny, Kuroko, and I believe it was written in my destiny to feel this way about basketball. If it wasn't, would I be feeling this way? Nothing good will come out of trying to change destiny, nanodayo.'

The Generation of Miracles and Seirin were hiding in the bushes watching Kuroko.

"I was bleeding  
Stopped believing  
Could have died  
This song saved my life." 

'Friendships that have cracks in them can never revert back to the original. The cracks will always stay. I'll only be left behind again. I can't let this happen to me a third time.'

"I was down.  
I was drowning  
But it came on just in time  
This song saved my life." 

'I was in over my head to think I had real friends. That would never abandon or replace me.' Kuroko's tears spilled. 

The Generation of Miracles and Seirin were really obvious in their stalking, but Kuroko was too absorbed in his singing to notice. He switched his song as he finished it.

"Everyone knows   
I'm in over my head  
Over my head  
With eight seconds  
Left in overtime  
She's on your mind  
She's on your mind." 

"Tetsu's good. I never thought singing could be his thing." Aomine said.

"Tetsu-kun is just amazing!" Momoi squealed.

"Why is Kuroko crying while singing?" Riko asked.

"Someone at Seirin hurt Kuro-chin~" Murasakibara answered.

"*Cough cough* Bakagami."

"What? Why me?"

"What Tetsuya told us does point all evidence to you, Taiga. What did you say to him?"

"I... Uh..."

"Kagami, just answer him, but it's not like I care or anything, nanodayo." Midorima said.

"Jeez, Nii-san, you're such a tsun-tsun."

"What are you saying, Shin? You watch too much anime."

Kuroko changed his song again.

"What am I supposed to do  
When the best part of me was always you?  
What am I supposed to say  
When I'm all choked up and you're okay?  
I'm falling to pieces.  
I'm falling to pieces." 

"Shhh! Kuroko-chi's singing about you, Kagami-chi!" Kise whispered.

"Why is it me?"

"Because you started this shit, Bakagami!" Aomine whisper yelled.

Kuroko suddenly stopped singing and looked to the gray sky. "I was stupid to think they cared. No one needs a useless person."

The Seirin members that were in the gym when Kuroko first said that looked shocked. The Generation of Miracles and the rest of Seirin looked at them.

"Just what did you guys tell him?" Riko whispered ominously, while glaring at them. She took her paper fan out of her bag.

"We were just talking and we didn't see Kuroko come in." Hyuuga said, sweating profusely.

"There's something you're not telling us." Akashi smiled deviously while taking scissors out of his jacket sleeve. (I don't really know if he keeps them in there, but as another person with a scissor obsession, I keep them there.)

'So that's where he keeps them!' The rest of the group thought.

"Okay, so we were making a few jokes." Izuki included.

"And just what were the jokes about, Izuki-senpai?" Ryou asked. His voice was still monotonous, but it had a hint of anger which surprised Kise since this is the first time he's seen his brother concerned about someone other than himself or his family. 

"Um... Well, you see... Erm, how exactly do I say this..."

"Okay, so we were talking about who would lose their starting position first, since you guys are really good and will eventually be starters. Kuroko's the weakest so we thought he would lose his first. And so what if we made a couple jokes about his presence? He probably doesn't care. If he did, he wouldn't say he was used to getting forgotten or not getting noticed." Kagami blurted out.

"So you basically told Kuroko he wasn't needed and he could be replaced?!" Riko's eyes widened. "Bakagami! No wonder he's like that! Why would you do that?! Those of you involved in this incident, your training is doubled for three months." Riko smacked them with her fan. "No one on the team could ever be replaced. Why would you think that you could just replace him?"

"Tetsu may act nonchalant about his presence, but under that facade he really is sensitive about it." Aomine added, while glancing at Kuroko. "How much of a shitty, fucking idiot could you be, Bakagami?!" He grabbed Kagami's collar. "I thought you, of all people, wouldn't betray him."

"For once, I approve of Nii-san's cursing. How could you, senpais?" Daisuke asked.

"Kagami-senpai, Hyuuga-senpai, Izuki-senpai, I thought you were better than this." Ryou said.

"So not cool, senpais." Shin looked disappointed.

"Kuro-chin deserves better than this."

"Murasakibara-chi's right. What did Kuroko-chi do to deserve this?"

"Not that I care or anything, but Kuroko needs someone who won't betray him, who will be his support. At Teiko, we all kinda left him. He had no one to support him. We thought he had finally found that support at Seirin, but we apparently made a mistake, nanodayo."

"I was wrong to let Tetsuya come to Seirin. Maybe I should have forced him to come to Rakuzan with me."

"I'm really disappointed in you guys. Just when Teppei has to go back to the hospital, you do this kind of thing. He will definitely be hearing about this." Riko gave them a disapproving look.

"Ooh, the Iron Heart, Kiyoshi Teppei... I wonder what he'll do when he hears about this. He'll be angry for sure. Senpais, I wonder if you'll survive the wrath of Coach and Iron Heart-senpai." Shin said. 

The three freshmen haven't met Kiyoshi yet since they just got in the basketball club so they decided on calling him Iron Heart-senpai.

The mentioned Seirin members shuddered.

"I honestly didn't think you guys would do that. Considering what he told us happened in Teiko and what happened today, he just can't take it anymore. His negative emotions are probably all coming back to him." Furihata said.

The whole group was sent into silence. 

Seirin's second and third years looked shocked. They had forgotten how miserable Kuroko might've been when Ogiwara Shigehiro, his childhood friend, had stopped contacting him because of the Generation of Miracles. On top of that, during that time, the Miracles had left him one by one, leaving him all alone. They remembered how Kuroko, who usually never shows his emotions, cried when explaining the whole story to them the night before their game with Rakuzan.

The Miracles, even Akashi, and the three freshmen were quite confused. They had no idea what most of Seirin was talking about.

"What do you mean by 'what happened in Teiko'? Do you mean when we left him?" Akashi asked, genuinely confused, but hiding it under his usual poker face.

"U-uh... W-well..." Furihata started shaking. He was still rather terrified of Akashi's presence. Fukuda and Kawahara each put one hand on Furihata's shoulder for support. "Th-that was part of it. The night b-before our match with Rakuzan, Kuroko told us abo—"

"Shh! Mitobe says someone's approaching Kuroko!" Koganei whispered, while putting a hand over Furihata's mouth.

The group turned their attention to Kuroko. They indeed found a man approaching Kuroko. 

"Hey, you're pretty good at singing!" The man said, smiling. "Have you ever thought about going into the music industry?"

The man looked to be about Hyuuga's height. He had pale white skin, black, messy hair, with long bangs that were parted so you could see his crimson eyes, long eyelashes, and a handsome face. His build was similar to Kise's. He wore a black t-shirt covered with an open red and black plaid flannel with dark gray skinny jeans. He also wore silver chains on his jeans and a black fedora with a single horizontal red stripe going around the middle of it.

"Thank you. And no, I haven't. I am Kuroko. May I ask who you are?"

"Ah, how silly of me to have forgotten to introduce myself! I am Aikawa Yuki. I'm a music producer at Musical Tendencies Records." He took a card out of his pocket and gave it to Kuroko. "Your voice is wonderful, Kuroko-kun. It has this unique calming quality. Do you mind singing again?"

"Not at all, Aikawa-san." Kuroko cleared his throat and began.

"Let me tell you something I've been thinking about for a long time.  
If we can go back to being friends, then I will ask for nothing more.  
As long as you're okay with it, I don't really mind.  
I, a liar, sang a love song with words contrary to my thoughts. 

Today's weather is a clear sunny sky with a downpour.  
Yesterday I was making the best use of my time by being idle and free.  
It's not like I'm thinking about you or anything.  
Fine, maybe I was thinking about you just a little against my will. 

The inside of my head is spinning,  
Just like a merry-go-round. 

Since it's on the verge of spilling from my hands,  
Where should I throw away this love you gave me?  
I have no need for things  
That diminish the more I use. 

Let me tell you something I've been thinking about for a long time.  
You can't see it's shape, but you can see the words.  
I feel frustrated by the fact that there are things I don't know of.  
Are my dangling emotions beautiful or dirty?  
I have no idea, and I don't have a place to discard them to. 

I'll wait until I get to the bottom of the meaning of those words.  
Waiting doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. 

Since you're still moving ahead while I've already stopped completely,  
What should I do to fill up the elongating space between us?  
I, an innate coward,  
Still can't use my words honestly. 

Since it's on the verge of spilling from my hands,  
Instead of you, to whom else should I give this love to?  
I don't think someone else can be found so easily.  
Guess I'll keep waiting. 

Is this good?"

"That was amazing, Kuroko-kun. Who is that song by?" Aikawa asked.

"I wrote it."

"You really have a talent there. You'd do really well in the music industry. May I have your number? I'd like to arrange an appointment sometime in the near future."

"Sure, but what for?"

"I'd like to sign a record label with you. Your talent would go to waste if it wasn't discovered."

"Ah, okay." 

Kuroko took out his phone and put Aikawa in his contacts.

"Well, just call when you're free, Kuroko-kun. I have to get back to the office before my break's over. See you later!" Aikawa said as he walked away.

"Musical Tendencies, huh?" Kuroko mumbled. He then took his belongings and went home.

'Kuroko/Kuroko-chi/Tetsu/Tetsu-kun/Kuro-chin/Tetsuya/Kuroko-senpai got discovered?!' The large group thought.

Akashi stood up and dusted himself off. "Anyways, about what we were discussing, let's go to a more suitable place before Furihata-kun continues his explanation. Let's go back to Maji Burger."


	3. Resignation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing. The songs used in this chapter are Ghost by Mayday Parade and I Don't Love You by My Chemical Romance.

Chapter Two

"I accept your offer."

~Gray Skies~

As the large group which consisted of the Generation of Miracles and Seirin walked back to Maji Burger, the gray skies had become darker, and it started to rain hard. The ones with no umbrellas walked closer to the ones who did.

"I told you to bring an umbrella, Nii-san," Daisuke nagged as he opened his.

"Ah, whatever. Just let me get under yours."

"Satsuki-nee, you get under it too."

"Arigato, Daisuke-kun. Dai-chan, you're older so why aren't you this responsible? Honestly, I can't tell who's the younger one."

"Just shut up, Satsuki. We got enough to worry about," Aomine sounded exasperated.

"You're right, for once. I hope Tetsu-kun's alright." Momoi sighed, huddling closer to Aomine and Daisuke.

"I am fully prepared because I am absolute," Akashi said. Most of the group rolled their eyes at that comment.

"Nii-san, let me share with you," Shin said.

"Fine, but only because Mom would be angry with me if you got sick, nanodayo. It's not like I care, though." Midorima let Shin under his umbrella, which just so happened to be his lucky item for the day.

"Tsun-tsun."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Ooh, the weather is just like when a girl got stabbed with an umbrella in this anime, Another."

"Would you mind showing me this anime, Shin? It sounds quite interesting." Akashi had that devilish smirk plastered on his face.

"Of course, Akashi-senpai. I happen to like this one a lot. There's a lot of blood. I haven't finished the entire series yet, but I've heard there's one episode that involves scissors. Wait, that might be another anime. But the umbrella goes directly through her thro—"

"Shi-chin, you shouldn't give Aka-chin more ideas~"

"What was that, Atsushi?"

"Nothing~"

"Continue, Shin."

"What do you call it when it rains chickens and ducks? Fowl weather!"

"Izuki, do us all a favor and shut up."

"That one was pretty bad, Izuki," Riko agreed.

"What goes up when he rain comes down? An umbrella!"

"Izuki!"

"I'm happy Muro-chin made me take an umbrella with me~"

"Hey, Ryou-chi, lemme share with you."

"No, Nii-san. You're annoying."

"Hey, Midorima-chi, can I—"

"No. Go die."

"So mean!" Kise whined.

"Was there really a need to be so rude to Kise-senpai, Nii-san?" Shin inquired.

"There is always a need to be rude to Kise."

"Murasakibara-chi, ca—"

"No~"

"Why not?"

"Because you're too loud and energetic~"

Kise kept getting rejected until Kagami got fed up with his whining and let him share with him.

"Arigato, Kagami-chi!"

"Whatever, just shut up."

~Gray Skies~

'Alone again, huh? How many times has this happened to me? It's raining again. Just like the last time this has happened to me.' Kuroko thought as he walked home. He didn't have an umbrella since he only brought his violin and some music sheets. He ran home, not wanting to get his violin wet. 

When Kuroko finally got home, he collapsed of exhaustion on the living room floor, leaving his violin and music sheets scattered. He had a headache and was breathing heavily. The pale boy couldn't find enough strength in himself to get up so he ended up falling asleep in his drenched uniform.

"Why am I all alone?" He mumbled before his mind went blank.

~Gray Skies~

Once the group had gotten to Maji's, they ordered their food and settled down. They had to push some tables together because their party was very large.

"Now that we've calmed down, Kouki will now continue his explanation. What did you mean by 'what happened in Teiko'?" Coming from Akashi, the statement sounded more like a demand than a question.

"U-um, l-like I was s-saying earlier, the night before our game with Rakuzan, Kuroko told us some things about his experiences in Teiko. I-it's really n-not my story to tell, though. I-I mean, f-for K-Kuroko's privacy, b-but that night, he cried. He rarely shows any emotion, but he was in tears," Furihata explained. On the last sentence, Seirin's chihuahua wasn't stammering or stuttering or even shaking, no matter how terrified he was of Akashi's presence, which just proved how seriously worried he was about Kuroko. 

This did not go unnoticed by the red-headed captain holding scissors.

"Akashi, I'm curious too, but we really shouldn't pry on Tetsu," Aomine said.

"Aomine has a point there," Midorima agreed.

"You have me curious now, senpais," Ryou said.

"Ryou-chan, you should really get your hair out of your eyes. How do you even see through it?" Momoi parted his bangs so she could see his face. "You really do look like Ki-chan. If only you'd smile a bit more."

"Satsuki, that's enough. Don't get sidetracked. I suppose Daiki is correct, though. If Tetsuya decides to tell us, he will. We'll just have to be patient and wait for the right time. For the meantime, let's just wait and see what happens." 

After Akashi had said that, and the heavy tension in the room had disappeared, the group went back to eating and doing the usual. 

Aomine and Kagami had gotten into a fight about who would win at the next Winter Cup.

Kise, somehow, got dragged into their argument. 

Midorima was shaking his head disapprovingly at their antics. 

Akashi payed no mind to them and kept reading the book he had brought along while twirling his scissors. 

Murasakibara continued eating, thinking it was a pain to have to interact with others. 

Seirin's freshmen were in a discussion about Another. What Shin had told Akashi piqued their interest. Momoi and Riko had joined the freshmen, as well, being otakus and fujoshis. 

Izuki was making extremely lame puns, with Hyuuga telling him to shut up, while Koganei was mysteriously in a conversation with Mitobe. No one really understood how he could interpret what Mitobe was saying without him actually speaking. Not even Akashi. The more they tried to understand it, the more baffled they got. 

The three second-years, Furihata, Fukuda, and Kawahara, were just looking at their friends and acquaintances, amazed at how chaotic everything was. 

After seeing how late it was, the large group consisting of the Teiko graduates and Seirin parted ways.

Akashi was the last one to exit Maji's with a mischievous smile as he thought, 'I have a feeling we will meet again soon, Seirin.'

~Gray Skies~

The next day, Kuroko woke up with a migraine. 

The bluenette's uniform was still wet from the rain. He tried to get up, but found he had no strength to even do something as simple as that. Kuroko kept trying until he finally found the energy to pick himself up. He dragged himself up the stairs, grabbed a towel, then went into the bathroom. 

He was so dizzy he had to brace himself by leaning against the wall. The bluenette thought a shower would help ease the headache so he set the water, stripped, then stepped into the warm water. A few minutes later, the headache had gotten less painful and he was able to think straight.

Flashes of yesterday's events were remembered. 

'My team doesn't need me. Can I even call them my team anymore?' Kuroko thought. 'I'm useless. Seriously, there's no one in the basketball league that gets kicked off two teams. First, Teiko, now, Seirin.' The former phantom sixth man's tears fused with the warm water pouring over his head.

"How could I be so stupid?" The shadow said out loud.

He was so out of it, by the time he realized the time, he was late for school already. He got dressed as quickly as he could, grabbed his bag, then ran out the door, locking it behind him. 

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. By the time he reached the school, his second class was already in session. He had to stop by the school office to get a tardy pass, as well.

Just as the secretary was about to give Kuroko his pass, he passed out cold and dropped to the floor.

"Kuroko-kun!"

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko slowly opened his eyes. He was lying in a bed and his body was sore. He took a moment to observe his surroundings. The walls were white, there were additional beds, and a few chairs placed next to the beds. He found his bag next to his bed. 'Huh? Why am I in the infirmary?'

"Oh, Kuroko-kun, you're awake," the nurse said, smiling.

"Sensei, why am I in the infirmary?" Kuroko said with his usual emotionless expression.

"You collapsed in the hallway when you were waiting for your pass. You don't need it anymore, though. Classes are already over. I believe the secretary marked you present."

"Is that so? Nevertheless, thank you for taking care of me. Sorry for troubling you." Kuroko slid his legs off the bed.

"No problem. It's my job. Are you feeling okay? You had a fever."

"Yes, I feel much better now."

"That's good," she said. "Do you walk to school?"

"Yes."

"I'll give you a ride home. I can't let you walk home with a fever."

"It's okay, Sensei. I can make it home on my own."

"I insist."

"I'll take up your offer then," Kuroko said, reluctantly. "It'd be disrespectful if I were to refuse after you insisted."

"Always the polite one, aren't you, Kuroko-kun?" The nurse grinned.

"Club activities should be in session, correct?"

"Yes, why?" 

"I have something I have to give to the basketball coach," Kuroko said, as he took an envelope with 'To Aida Riko' written on it out of his bag.

"I'll have my student aid bring it to her." He handed the envelope to her. "Aki-chan, can you bring this to the basketball coach?"

"Sure," she said as she took the letter from the nurse.

"You can go home after this. I'll be taking Kuroko-kun home."

"Okay. Have a nice day!" Aki said as she left the room.

The nurse grabbed her keys. "Are you ready to go, Kuroko-kun?" 

Kuroko nodded. 

"Alright, then let's go."

~Gray Skies~

Seirin was practicing, as usual, but they were a bit distracted because of what occurred yesterday. None of them had heard from Kuroko, and they were worried. I mean, who wouldn't be if you knew that someone your friend cared for said something horrible to them?

The ones involved in the conversation about Kuroko were groaning in pain, seeing as their training was doubled.

"Stop complaining and keep practicing! This is your punishment." Riko scolded. "Do you want me to triple it?"

Just as they were about to continue, there was a knock on the gym door before it opened, revealing Aki, the nurse's assistant.

"Um, is Aida Riko in here?" She said.

"Yes, that's me, why?" Riko inquired.

"I'm the nurse's TA. She wanted me to give this to you." She handed the envelope to her. "I think it's from one of the students in the infirmary. The nurse is gonna bring him home. I heard he collapsed at the office and was unconscious for the whole day. It was weird. I never saw him the whole time I was there until the nurse talked to him."

"Oh, okay. Thank you."

"No problem." Aki walked out the gym doors, leaving Riko to read the letter. 

A few minutes later, a thud was heard. Riko's knees gave out from under her and she fell to the ground, dropping the letter. Tears were spilling from her eyes. She covered her mouth to keep the sobs in, but the attempt failed.

Izuki was the first to notice Riko because of his eagle eye. He walked over to her, a basketball in hand. "Coach, what's wrong?"

"K-Kuroko..." She trailed off, weakly pointing to the letter on the floor.

Izuki picked up the letter. 'Kuroko? What about him?' After he read it, regret washed over him instantly. His eyes widened and the basketball he was holding dropped.

"Y-You guys! T-Take a look at this letter!" He stuttered out.

Seirin gathered around him and Riko. 

Hyuuga snatched the letter from him. "What the fuck is this?" The basketball players looked over his shoulder to see.

The letter read:

Dear Coach,

I would like to resign from the team. I am obviously unneeded and useless. I will only drag the team down, as I was reminded by Kagami-kun and the other senpais. I can easily be replaced. My getting kicked off the team was probably inevitable so instead of getting hurt later, I'd rather quit now. If you would, please pass this to the rest of the team. 

To Daisuke-kun, Ryou-kun, and Shin-kun,

Sorry I wasn't able to keep our promise. An unfulfilled promise is the same as a lie. I really am a terrible person, no? Lying to people who look up to me? You probably don't anymore, though. I can't proudly call myself your senpai anymore. Don't think it was anything you did. It's all me.

Dear Seirin,

I'm sorry for being useless. I'm pretty sure you don't need me. I hope you do well at the next Inter High. Don't try to look for me. I doubt you would, though. Even if you do, know that it's pointless. Please say hello to Kiyoshi-senpai for me.

Goodbye,

Kuroko Tetsuya.

After reading that, the whole gym went silent. No one dared to speak. A depressing aura filled the gym, and tears fell onto the hardwood floors, mixing with the sweat.

The only thing that Kagami, Hyuuga, Izuki, Mitobe, and Koganei felt was regret. They didn't even deserve the right to cry over this because they caused this. They were the ones at fault.

Kuroko was hurting because of them. They could see his emotionless face with eyes betraying his sadness in their minds. They remembered how sorrowful his voice had sounded when he was singing, not to mention how depressing the lyrics were. They remembered his tear stained face. They remembered how he cried and smiled the night before their match with Rakuzan. They knew how much pain he'd been through before from abandonment and they'd still done that.

They knew that they broke his smile. 

The Kuroko they knew, whose smiles were very rare, would probably never smile again.

And it would be all because of them.

That day, the skies were a dark gray—the same as the day before. There were no sounds of balls bouncing or shoes squeaking. That day, quiet sobs were the only thing heard from within the gym. That day, was when five basketball players were angry with themselves for being complete jerks.

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko stood next to the nurse's Prius.

"Take two days off of school for your health. I'll notify the office. Okay, Kuroko-kun?" She said through the window.

"Yes, Sensei. Thank you for taking me home."

"Be sure to get plenty of rest. I do not want to see you in my office under bad circumstances again, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you for taking the time to bring me home."

"It's nothing. I insisted after all." She smiled. "Take care of yourself. See you later!" 

Kuroko watched the nurse drive down the street and around the corner. He took out his keys and unlocked the front door once she was out of sight. After the phantom walked in, he immediately went to his room and flopped onto his bed.

He stared at the ceiling and sighed. 'Well, I resigned. Now what?' He thought. The shadow soon remembered the card given by Aikawa Yuki, the scouter/producer of Musical Tendencies. He decided he'd rest for now and call him tomorrow.

Kuroko changed out of his uniform and went to sleep.

~Gray Skies~

The next day, the entire Seirin basketball club was on the lookout for their shadow. Or should I say former shadow? After yesterday's events, the basketball club was incredibly shaken up, but there were a few that were affected more than the rest.

Riko didn't know how to cope with this. Since Seirin was the first team she'd ever coached, this was the first time she'd ever experienced having a valuable player quit the team. She knew it could happen, but she never thought it would happen to her. 

She also had yet to contact Kiyoshi. What would he say to her, knowing that she'd let this happen? Would he be disappointed in her because the team he founded fell apart under her watch? Would he blame this on her because she could've prevented it? Would things have turned out differently if she had gotten to the gym earlier? Would Kuroko still be here? Would he still be able to smile brightly like he did after winning against Rakuzan? 

If she had gotten there earlier, would any of this messed up shit have happened?

The seemingly invincible bonds Kiyoshi tried so hard to protect, even to the extent of taking an injury to the head, have cracked and shattered from the inside.

The other thing bothering her was Kuroko. What happened to him? Why would he just send a letter and not even bother to talk to her face-to-face? They were friends, weren't they? He was like a little brother to her. Did he consider her the same as the ones who hurt him?

Riko couldn't take how cruel it all was—to Kuroko and the others that were affected like herself, the Generation of Miracles, their brothers, and the rest of the Seirin members. It's just sad how he was betrayed after all his effort. What did he do to deserve this? All he ever did was try his best.

Just as Riko had been in shock, the three freshmen were worse.

They were completely distracted and spaced out during practice. When any of the second/third-years passed the freshmen classrooms, they noticed their inability to concentrate in class. Even Daisuke, who was very diligent, couldn't concentrate. Teachers, as well, were picking up on their distress. Three teachers have already talked with them. Daisuke was more distant from the class, Shin wasn't his usual cheerful self, and Ryou gave off a stronger depressing, gloomy aura.

Contrary to what Kuroko wrote in his letter, they didn't care about the promise anymore. All they wanted was for Kuroko to return to the basketball club. They wanted to play with him again. They wanted to receive his passes in an official game. He left before they even had a game with another school. It was so early in the school year.

The Seirin regulars were damaged. Damaged was the only way to put it. Hyuuga wasn’t going into clutch mode at all. Izuki didn’t make any puns. Mitobe wasn’t talking. You’d think this wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but he didn’t talk. No hand signs or anything. Koganei’s usual cheerful aura was replaced by a gloomy one. And even Kagami had lost his appetite.

Kagami was sad, regretful, and most of all angry at himself. Just what had prompted him to say those things about Kuroko? He himself didn't even understand why he said it. Kuroko was the closest one to him. How could he have just done that after all they've been through together? He was so disgusted with himself. He was disgusted with the demon that possessed him when he said that. 

The worse thing was: he felt the demon was still there. A part of him did think he didn't need Kuroko and that he was useless. Kagami didn't know why he was thinking this way, but he didn't like it one bit. It felt like another prideful personality that was split apart form his usual self. It was a bit similar to Akashi's. 

The regulars all had the same thought: I shouldn’t have done that.

During breaks, the basketball team got together to search for Kuroko, hoping to patch up and mend their relationship, but they couldn't find him at all. No matter where they looked, he was nowhere to be found. They decided to go to the office and ask where he was.

"Ano, sensei, is Kuroko Tetsuya here today?" Riko asked.

"Actually, no. He's on a leave of absence because he's sick."

"May we have his address? We would like to go visit him and bring him his make up work," Hyuuga said.

"Of course! How nice of his friends to want to visit him when he's ill," she said. That statement made the few at fault feel guilty. The lady wrote the address on a paper and handed it to Riko. "Here you go," she said with a smile.

"Thank you," they said, bowing.

The basketball team had one objective to complete: go to Kuroko's house and apologize.

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko sat on the bench at the park, his guitar case beside him. He had Aikawa's business card in one hand and his phone in the other. He was just about to call him, but he hesitated a bit. He didn't know why he was, though. There was no reason for it. Maybe it was just that he felt that this phone call might be a life-changing event.

He found his resolution to dial the number. The phone rang twice then the producer answered.

“This is Aikawa Yuki from Musical Tendencies. How may I help you?”

“Domo, Aikawa-san. This is Kuroko from yesterday.”

“Ah, Kuroko-kun! Have you thought about what I said earlier?” he said, enthusiastically.

“Yes. I accept your offer.”

“That’s great! So shall we meet up to schedule your audition?”

“Sure.”

“Okay, let’s meet up at the café Chocolat Blanc, Vanille Noire at four.”

“Okay. Where is it?”

“I’ll send you the address by text.”

“Alright.”

“See you then!” he said then hung up.

Well, after that phone call, Kuroko put his phone away and took out his guitar. Might as well play for now. He strummed the chord that started one of his favorite songs.

“There's a ghost in my bedroom, it haunts me at night.  
I've asked him to leave, but he keeps stopping by.  
Just when I think that I'm alone, it shows up again with a friend this time.  
And now this is getting old.  
I don't know what to do.  
Metaphorically, this ghost is you. 

Now this ghost in my bedroom it gives me advice,  
He promised one day that he'd teach me to fight.  
Now when I think that I'm alone, he comes up my way with a devil's smile singing,  
"This is now my home. You're my wish come true."  
When you reach that golden cloud, I'll be there with you. 

If there were monsters in the closet,  
Well, I don't think I would be surprised.  
I hear them call out from my window.  
They try and trick me to come outside.  
We talked all day,  
I can't tell if he's real or a made-up version of her again.  
Never alone 'cause I've got you.  
Get this out of my head. 

No I won’t waste away my love onto something new.  
If there's only one way out, I'll come back for you. 

If I get stuck out there forever,  
Tell everyone that I said goodbye.  
You're on my lifelong list of wishes,  
And I could bring you back, but we don't belong here now. 

If he stays, well that just means I’ve got numbered days  
'Til I go back to my little world where it's just me and my imaginary friends. 

So go on, love, find a new direction,  
hold my heart, keep it for protection.  
And don't get stuck on your way.  
The other side's a scary place.  
Do your best not to be afraid,  
Lose it all when we run away.  
Letting go of the little things you know that I do. 

There's a ghost in my bedroom, and he's dying to meet you,  
God knows he's heard all about you.  
I guess he's friendly enough though.  
I'll see him more,  
Always sneaking roses in your bed,  
He's in your bed, says he won't let you down.  
He will, he will, he will. 

There's a ghost in my bedroom,  
Ah, ah. _[x2]_  

Softly, slowly how can I go down?  
I want you to notice when I let go.  
Softly, slowly how can I come down?  
I want you to notice when I let go. 

There's a ghost in my bedroom,  
Ah, ah.” 

As he was singing, Kuroko was so absorbed in the music he didn’t notice that he’d drawn a crowd. Applause surrounded him as he ended the song. 

A little boy approached him. “Keep singing, Onii-chan,” he said, a smile on his face. 

Kuroko smiled back at him. “Of course,” he said, ruffling his hair.

“Kosei! Where are you?”

“You better go. Your mother’s looking for you,” Kuroko said. “You shouldn’t worry her.”

“Okay. Bye, Onii-chan!” he yelled as he ran to his mother, who was looking rather relieved to find her missing child.

The crowd had dispersed by then, letting Kuroko pack up his stuff and head for home. He still had to look up the directions to the café on his computer since he didn’t have one of the fancy smartphones like Kise. He walked home, singing along to the song on his iPod.

“When you go  
would you even turn to say  
‘I don’t love you  
Like I did  
Yesterday’” 

He loved this song because it described how he was feeling at the moment. He wished his former teammates would’ve straight up told him they didn’t need him instead of hearing them say it behind his back. No one likes it when they’re talked about unknowingly.

To his surprise, when he went around the corner, he saw the Seirin basketball club at his door. He couldn’t face them. Not after what had happened yesterday. But he really needed to get into his house.

The shadow activated his misdirection to avoid the eyes of the unwanted visitors. He quickly opened the gate to the backyard and entered the house from the back door. He sighed, wondering how they'd gotten a hold of his address. He put his guitar down and went straight to his computer, ignoring the knocks coming from his front door.

‘Okay, so Chocolat Blanc, Vanille Noire…'

On the other side of the door, Seirin was amazed at how big Kuroko’s house was. It was larger than the average Japanese house, but not as outrageously huge as Akashi’s or Midorima’s. 

Riko was scolding the team for suggesting that they just break into Kuroko’s living area. “No, you cannot trespass! Are you really gonna do that to someone that was just offended deeply?”

That shut them up, but, in addition to that, also made a gloomy aura overcome them.

“Don’t get so depressed over it. Why do you think we’re here to apologize?”

They brightened up a bit after hearing that. But just a bit.

“We’re also here to ask him why he quit,” she continued.

They deflated again.

“But our main purpose is to apologize.” 

They somewhat cheered up.

“Alright, then. Let’s do this,” Daisuke said, determinedly. 

“I’m all fired up!” Shin copied from his favorite anime character of all time, including the signature grin.

“Yeah, what he said,” Ryou added. He had a hood on and his bangs in his face, as always, but if you looked beyond that, which not many people did, there was something akin to a flame in his eyes.

They knocked but got no response since, from within, Kuroko was avoiding them, not wishing to speak with them, not even willing to face them, not wanting to get hurt again.

“I wonder if he isn’t home,” Hyuuga said.

“Well, he has to be. He’s sick,” Izuki said.

“‘You think he’s okay?’ says Mitobe,” Koganei said.

“I have no idea,” Furihata answered.

Kagami was silent the whole time. He really didn’t want to be here. Like, seriously. But he had to apologize. He just had to. He didn’t want to leave until he did. Then again, he also wanted to ask him to come back. He was rethinking his actions and wanted to make it up to him.

Anyway, inside, Kuroko, who was still ignoring the Seirin basketball club, found the directions to the café, printed them out, then dressed up in clothes a bit nicer than what he was currently wearing. Instead of the white tee shirt and old jeans he was wearing, he settled on a sky blue, collared, button-down, short-sleeved shirt, gray skinny jeans that were slightly faded, and a black hoodie, sleeves rolled up, with a black and white striped wristband. He couldn’t stop wearing wristbands even though he decided he’d stop basketball. They were a part of him.

So once he was ready, he headed out the back door with his hood over his head and walked away from his home Seirin. Once he was out of earshot, he said, “Goodbye,” to no one in particular.

It was already 3:30 and the café wasn’t reachable by foot in thirty minutes so he called a cab. When he got to the café, he went inside and found Aikawa waiting at a table. He walked over to him and sat down. Aikawa hadn’t noticed him yet.

“Domo, Aikawa-san.”

Aikawa turned to see where the voice came from. “Ah, Kuroko-kun! You’re here already. When did you get here?”

“Just now.”

“Oh, okay.”

A waitress came up to them. They ordered then engaged in small talk. When their snacks arrived, Aikawa got to the main point.

“So, regarding your audition, tomorrow would be okay, right? Since it’s a Friday, you shouldn’t have school.” He sipped his coffee.

“Yes, that’s fine with me.”

“Alright, then. What time would you like to do it?”

“Depends on how long it would take.” Kuroko examined his peculiar vanilla shake. Just like the name of the café, the vanilla was black. When he sipped it, it tasted way better than the ones at Maji’s. 

“The audition itself would probably take about ten minutes at most, but if the higher-ups do decide to sign you, it would probably take a few hours to get everything organized for your debut, recording dates, and other things.”

Kuroko nodded.

“Would nine in the morning be good?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then. Nine it is. Please prepare a song to play and sing.” He smiled. “Well, I personally don’t think you’d have a problem with that since you already write songs.”

Kuroko looked at him as he drank his weird black vanilla shake that tasted oddly appetizing.

“I’m pretty sure they would sign you so you’d need a manager. We can assign you one, but if you have someone in mind we can train them to do it,” he explained.

Momoi entered his mind for a moment. “Hmm…” He could ask her to do it for him. She’d get paid… probably. But the question is would she want to do it? She’d have to keep up with her studies and managing Touo’s basketball team as w

“Have you thought of anyone?”

“One person, but I don’t know if she’d want to do it. I have to call her.”

“If she’s interested, go ahead an bring her with you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“Well, I’ve gotta run. There’s a faculty meeting in thirty.”

“Thanks for taking time to meet me.”

“Same here,” he said, smiling. “Well, see you tomorrow.” He walked away, briskly.

Kuroko sighed. ‘Well, guess I better call Momoi-san.’ He took his weird vanilla shake and left the premise of the café.


End file.
